Step 3 of the Thesis Process: Deposit
Step 1: Development • Step 2: Departmental Approval • Step 3: Deposit
Downloadable resources
Master's deposit checklist • Doctoral deposit checklist • ETD Quick Guide
Pre-deposit considerations
Deadlines
For each graduation period, there is a deadline by which the thesis must be deposited with the Graduate College Thesis Office. Thesis deadlines for current and future semesters are listed on the Graduate College Academic Calendar.
When to submit the thesis or dissertation to the Graduate College Thesis Office
The thesis should be submitted to the Graduate College only after the thesis
- has been formatted according to Graduate College requirements (see Step 1), and
- has received departmental approval (see Step 2).
Note: The Graduate College does not require students to be registered at the time of thesis deposit.
Fellowship and Assistantship Appointments
Students holding fellowships must notify the Graduate College Fellowship Office in advance of thesis deposit. Effective Spring 2008, students with assistantship appointments (RA, TA, GA, PPGA) are eligible to hold their assistantships through the end of the semester in which they deposit, regardless of the deposit date during that semester. For additional information on campus fellowship and assistantship policies, please refer to the Graduate College Handbook. Questions regarding these policies should be addressed to the Graduate College Fellowship Office.
Withholding release of the thesis for patent review
If a thesis needs to be temporarily withheld from public release because there is material in the thesis that is protected by or could potentially be protected by a patent, the student should submit a Thesis Withholding Request Form to the Office of Technology Management before submitting the thesis for review to the Graduate College.
Submit the thesis for review and deposit with the Graduate College Thesis Office
Beginning October 5, students may electronically submit a thesis for review by and deposit with the Graduate College Thesis Office. To submit your electronic thesis or dissertation (ETD), click on the link below to view a description of the ETD submission process:
Submit an ETD
Students who prefer to submit hard copies for review and deposit may do so by following the instructions for submitting a hard copy thesis for review and deposit.
Post-deposit considerations
Update your address information in UI Integrate Self-Service.
Diplomas are mailed to graduates approximately 9 weeks after the degree conferral. To ensure delivery of the diploma to the correct location, students should enter a "Diploma Address" in their Self-Service account. If there is no "Diploma Address" recorded, the diploma will be sent to your "Mailing Address."
Additional information regarding the diploma and transcripts may be found in the Graduation FAQ compiled by the Office of the Registrar.
Set email forwarding.
For information regarding discontinuation of access to email and other network services, please refer to the following Web page of Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services (CITES). Students with further questions regarding email and network access should contact the CITES Help Desk at (800) 532-2531.
Request a Certification of Degree Letter (if necessary).
Prior to the date of degree conferral, a student may need verification that he or she has completed all requirements for the degree (e.g., for employment or visa renewal). The University’s Office of the Registrar issues such evidence in the form of a Certification of Degree Letter (CDL).
After completing thesis deposit, a student may request a CDL by downloading the Request for Certification of Degree Letter and forwarding the request to the Thesis Office. The request will be stamped to indicate the date of thesis deposit and then routed through the student's department to the Office of the Registrar (OR) for processing. Students may not deliver the form to OR.
Note: The Graduate College Thesis Office can only verify thesis deposit; under no circumstances will the Thesis Office issue a statement of degree completion.
Participate in Commencement.
For information about participation in the campuswide ceremonies and convocations sponsored by colleges, schools, or departments, contact the Commencement Office at (217) 333-8834 or vist their Web page.
Obtain bound copies of the thesis for personal use.
The copy or copies of the thesis that you deposit with the Thesis Office become the property of the University of Illinois. Theses and dissertations submitted electronically will be made available through IDEALS, according to the release option chosen at the time of submission. Theses and dissertations submitted as hard copies will be forwarded to the University Library.
The Thesis Office does not provide or distribute thesis copies to students, departments, or anyone else. If you want to have copies of your thesis bound for yourself, your family, or your adviser, you will need to procure them independently. Three options are:
- Book binderies. At present, the Lincoln Bookbindery is the only local company that does hardcover binding: visit their Web site for further information. You can search for additional binderies in other locations on the Web.
- Copy shops. Local copy shops (e.g., Kinko’s and UpClose Copies) can make softcover copies.
- (Doctoral students only) ProQuest. ProQuest provides an order form for hardbound copies in its publication Publishing Your Graduate Work with UMI Dissertation Publishing.ProQuest advises students to allow 2 to 3 months after the end of the semester in which they deposited before anticipating delivery of their hardbound copies. Students who wish to inquire about the status of their ordered copies should contact ProQuest directly.